Kathak and Amrapali

Kathak is the dance of telling a story. The dance originated in the temples and is one of the most sacred dance forms of Lord Shiva who is the Lord of the dance. As revealed in history, during the Mughal rules, the dance was forbidden to be perform in the temples and taken into the king's court- the "darbar" where forms such as Tarana, Darbari, Thumri have evolved evident in Lucknow Kathak. Although Kathak Beginners is strictly Lucknow Kathak course, Monisha Kumar (Artistic Director) teaches elements from the 3 forms- Jaipur, Lucknow, Banaras kathak and also takes students on a smooth transition of how Kathak dance can be mixed with other forms of dance to create the ultimate unique dances that Monisha Kumar is known for in New Zealand. Monisha Kumar has been teaching Kathak in New Zealand for the past 14 years.